Madam, - The US president, George W.Bush, was wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; wrong also about the use of chemical weapons by Iraqis; and now, it would appear, about the war being over. An average of 15 attacks a day on US and British forces (according to figures released by the Americans) plus a long list of casualties since "war's end" bears this out.
Britain and the US each in turn has lost the last war in which they were met with guerrilla warfare, so it didn't take a military genius to figure out how to engage them in Iraq. This war, which is no longer called a war, could last a long time. It took 15 years for the US to admit defeat and withdraw from Vietnam.
Bertie Ahern has said it would take a UN resolution before Irish troops could be sent in. Such a resolution has now been passed. For any Irish government to set up Irishmen as targets in the desert, whether under the command of the US or UN, in order to reduce US casualties in the run-up to the US presidential election would be irresponsible in the extreme. - Yours, etc.,
DONNACA KENNEDY,
Corryolus,
Carrick-on-Shannon,
Co Leitrim.
Madam, - Mr Rumsfeld's memo is healthy recognition by a logical man that a modern army, no matter how well equipped or reorganised, can counteract Al-Qaeda and other terrorism without addressing the causes of that terrorism ("War doubts revealed in Rumsfeld memo", The Irish Times, October 22nd).
King Abdullah of Jordan, during his visit to Washington earlier this month, reiterated directly to President Bush that the tide of anti-Americanism would be turned only by America taking an even-handed approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
That Mr Rumsfeld could be the first of the "neo cons" to recognise this, while unexpected, may not be impossible if he continues to develop the logic of his memo. - Yours, etc.,
STEVEN LEE,
South Hill,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.